Casting apparatus.



O. M. SHERMAN. CASTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.12, 1911 v 1,023,884. Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

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A TTURNEY.

0. M. SHERMAN; CASTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.12, 1911.- 1 023 884 4 Paten ted vApr. 2E, 1912.

2 S\HEETSSHEET 2.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATESPATET g .v

0331a iasnmmn, or sYnnousn, New YORK, assumes. to n. B. van WAGNER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or SYRACUSE,

Yonx.

CASTING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW Patented Apr. 23, we.

Application filed October 12, 1911. Serial No. 654,880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORRIN M. SHERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Syracuse, 7 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casting Apparatus, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in casting apparatus, designed for use 1n making metal castings, and the invention relates especially to machines for producing finished castings, of the class wherein compressed air is employed for forcing the melted metal into the molds.

The invention relates particularly to an.

improvementin the casting apparatus shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States numbered 900,802, 900,803, and 924,858, dated respectively October- 13, 1908 and June 15, 1909.

The object of the present invention is to provide a casting apparatus of the class, wherein the movable gates formerly employed for cutting 011' the metal ator' near the juncture of the sprue with the mold cavities are entirely eliminated, and wherein the sprue is so arranged that it may be withdrawn from the dies with the castings at the end of each casting operation.

A further object is to provide a casting machine which may be operated by one man instead of two as heretofore.

A further object is to provide a casting machine wherein the general construction, arrangement and operation of the device is such that the finished metal castings may be produced more readily, more economically, and with less defects, than similar castings have been produced by the old styles of machines,known to me.

The features and parts ofthe invent-ion will be understood from the detailed description which follows, and by reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in'which Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section, taken on line ll of Fig. 2; showing generally the construction and arrangement of the complete device at the time the casting is done. of the casting machine taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is acentral vertical longitudinal section, also on line 11-of Fig 2 with certain parts broken away and omitted 1 withdrawing the casting from t in the county of Onondaga and Fig. 2 is a top plan viewthe-d ies, for ebottom diesection. Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view; showing the method of stripping the casting. from the cores carried by the upper die-section. Fig. 5 is a right side elevation of the device shown in Figs. 4c and 5. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the lower dissection; showing the mold cavities; also showing means for exhausting the air from the molds before casting. Fig. 7 is'a perspective view; showshowing the'method of partin ing a group of castings and the sprue, c'0n' nected as one part, as when ejected from the molds. Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of one of the units of the. casting.

In the drawings, 2 represents the top of a table or stand preferably made of iron,

which supports the which may means.

3 represents a fire-box beneath the plate 2, and in any suitable manner. The top of thefire-boxis open and the plate 2 of the table casting mechanism, and' be mounted by any suitable which is disposed preferably forms the cover for said boxduring the casting operations. The fire-box may follow any of the well-known constructions, but it is preferably made of wrought or cast metal.

4 represents the melting-pot which is disposed in the fire-box, wherein the metal for making the castings is fused or melted, and 5 represents the discharge spout or nozzle through which the metal is forced for filling the molds. The arrangement of the spout or nozzle 5 is such that its outer or free end contacts closely with the under side of the plate 2 where it coincides with a perforation 8 in the said plate.

Finished metal castings are generally made in molds formed. in one or more'diesections, as 7 and 8, which preferably consist of heavy plates or blocks of steel, which are mounted upon the base 2, to which the said sections are securely clamped during the casting operations. The die supporting and clamping frame consists of four like'metai uide rods or posts 9, which are disposed vertically, their lower ends made fast in the plate 2, and their'upper ends pass'through a top clamping plate 10, and then through the arms of a common yoke 10,", which is adjustable on said rods by means of a series of nuts 11. The plate 10 is movable vertically may be supported on the rods 9 for adjusting the frame for 0 .runners '20 are preferably formed in or'near and said plate.

surfaces planed off so as to provide an air tight joint between said parts, and when the suction is applied to pipe 21, it draws all the air from the molds 18 and also the ingate 19, and produces a vacuum in said parts. As soon as the air is exhausted from the molds, a pressure is applied to the mel ing-pot, which generally consists of compressed air, may be supplied by a ipe A in the usual manner, and by means of which the melted metal is forced from said pot upwardly through the spout and the ingate 19 into the molds 18. The melted metal enters to completely fill all of the said cavities and erfect and compact castings are thus instantaneously formed.

clamping dies of different size or thickness, and it may be raised and lowered within a certain range by means of a hand-lever 12, which'is pivoted by a pin 13 to the yoke, and a link 14 which connects with said lever The lower die-section 7 is preferably rigidly secured to the base 2 of the table by means of! screws 15, while the die-section or plate 8 is mounted on top of the section 7, and is detachably secured thereto by means of dowel pins 16, which hold the said sections in proper relations to each other. The upper die-section c is preferably rigidly secured to the under side of a head-block 17 by the dowel pins 16, and the head-block 17 is rigidly secured to the under side of the top plate 10 by screws 17, so that the said parts are movable as one.

The molds by which the castings are made, are formed in either one or both of the die-sections 7 and 8, but whenever convenient the molds are usually formed in the lower or fixed. die-section, as shown in the drawings. In the present case I have shown a plurality of like molds 18, which are preferably arranged in a circle around a common ingate or sprue, which consists of a cylindrical opening or port 19, which passes downwardly through the lower diesection 7 and communicates and coincides with the perforation 6 in the base 2. The molds 18 are intended to represent any form in which it is desired to cast the metal. Each of the molds 18 is connected with the ingate forthe passage of the melted metal by means of shallow runners or gates 20. All of the mold cavities'18 and the of a series of tubular parts 25, the hollow interiors of which are formed by means 0 a series of cores, which comprise reduced cylindrical portions 26 formed on the lower ends of rods or shanks 27, which pass through the upper dic-scction 8. The upper ends of the rods 27 then pass through a core ejecting plate 28, which is disposed in a recess .29 in the head-block 17, directly above and parallel to the top oi the section 8, and the said rods are made 't'ast to the said plate by keys 30. \Vhcn the dies are placed together, as shown in Fig. 1 ready for casting, the lower ends of the cores 26 rest upon the bottoms of the molds 19 After the lllQliCtlJllClttl has been forced into the molds 1S, and has become rigid, the top die-section S isdctached or moved away from the lower section 7 (see Fig. 4) by means of the hand-lever 12 and link 14, and when the dies are thus parted the castings cling to the cores 26, and are thus withdrawn from the molds At the. same time the section 8 is parted from the section 7, the spriie or metal 231. which tilled the ingatc 19 having become rigid or hard like the castings 2i'i,'ani also the metal 352 which filled the gates or runners 20, are all withdrawn from the lower die-section 7 with the castings, as one part, (see liigs. 4, and 7) so that upon the parting of the the topsurface of the die-section 7, and face the bottom side of the die-section 8, which in the present device is arranged {hit and plain and forms the finished top surfaces ot' the several castings.

The metal from which the castings are made is melted in the pot 4, by a suitable heating agent (not shown) which may be applied to the interior of the fire-box E, in the usual manner.

hen the dies are placed o in casting position, as shown in Fig. l, and dies the lower section 7 is rendered entirely securely clamped together, as described, the clear of all the cast. metal.

,air contained in the molds 18 is exhausted The. withdrawing oi' the whole oi the cast or drawn away, by means of a vacuum metal in the manner described, is permitted by reason (it the l'unnelshapc ol' the ing'ate pump (not shown) which connects with a I I 4 pipe 21, which is inserted in a port 22 '19, whicnis gradimlly contracted throughlhc out its length from the top to the bottom. as shown in Figs. 1, It, and T. .\l'ter the dies are parted, as shown inl ig. l. the next operation is thistrippinp; or ejecting ol"tho castings. so as to free them l'i'oin the diesection 8 and the cores 2b., The stripping formed in one side of the die-section 7 port 22 connects with an annular groove or gutter 23 which is formed in the top sur face of the die-section 7 surrounding the several molds 18. Directly opposite each of the molds, the top surface of the section 7 is milled or cut away or forming shallow of the castings idler-ted by the following assages 2i (see Fig. 6) or t'tililitlfl.lllf the parts; 31) represents a pair of like rods, the

corresponding sides of \\'l\ltll are formed mold cavities with the annular groove 23.

\ into racks irl, said rods connecting at their The die-sections 7 and 8 have their adjacent the molds with sutticicnt force -lower ends the core-ejecting plate 28 by 1 section 8, thus stripping the castings off the cores 26, as shown in Fig. 5. As soon as the castings are stripped and removed the diesection '8 isreturned to its casting position upon plate 7 by operating lever 12, after which the core-plate 28 is lowered for inserting the cores 26, in the mold cavities 15 (see Fig. 1), and the machine is ready for another casting operation. The above described operations are repeated for producing)each-set of castings.

ies of any suitable size may be employed in connection with the other parts of the apparatus, and molds for making castings of various shapes and form's may be wrought,

in the dies, without requiring any material changes in the construction-and arrange ment of the main device, or dies, excepting slight changes in the arrangement and disposition of the cores and runners, may be necessary to suit the different kinds of molds.

The use of the plunger-gates in t-he'past, has always been attended with a number of 'diflicult-ies, which not only tended to increase the cost of making finished metal castings, but a large percentage ofthe castings have been imperfectly formed and rendered unfit for use. The plungers being made of steel and arranger to operate in the steel dies, which are constantly heated to a high temperature during the casting operation, the said plungers, owing to their reciprocable playing in the die-sections soon become so worn as to allow air to freel pass into and out of'the molds. In or er to make perfect castings under pressure it. is necessary to exhaust all of the air from the mold cavities just before eachfilling of the molds, otherwise, the castings will be imperfect. Vacuum umps, as explained, are usually employed or this purpose, and the said pumps are kept working all the time while the dies are closed or in casting osition. When the plunger gates become lbosened from the constant wearreferred to, the pumps draw air from the outside into the molds, which revents the forming of a vacuum, and as t e melted metal is orced into the molds by a stron pressure, such as compressed air, the sudr en inrush of the metal entra s the air in the corners and pockets of t e molds, with the result that the castings are imperfectly formed. Furthermore, owing to the rapid wearing out of the mechanical gates, these parts must I be replaced with new ones, at short inter vals, which again adds to the expense of the output of the machine; The leaking of the .ated by-one man, and by which finished castings may be produced more cheaply and with less defects and trouble than under the old styles of machines referred to, but none of these, so far as I am aware, have been entirely successful. My improvement is intended to remedy the aforesaid defects and to obviate said troubles, and at the same. time produce'perfectl formed castings in a ready manner, and at a comparativelysmall cost. In the present device the essen-v tial feature consists of constructing the main ingate 19, in the form of a funnel, wherein the largest end of the ingate is disposed adjacent the mold cavities, while the smallest or reduced end of the said gate is disposed nearest the melting-pot. By this new arrangement, I am able to do away entirely with the plunger gate of the former patents and also the bearing or way in the upper die-section in which the said gate is disposed. By the elimination of theseparts, I am able to close up my molds tightly enough to enable the pumps to'maintain a vacuum in the mold cavities, which materiall aids in the filling of. the molds and the orming of perfect castings. Under m new construction, after the molds are fille it is only necessary to prolong the application of the casting pressure a second or two, for holding the metal in the molds and also in the ingate, long enough to allow the metal to become hard. Then, as soon as the pressure is shut off, the dies may be separated, and the castings and also the sprue are withdrawn from the lower die-section as one- 7 part, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 8.

By providing the ingate 19, constructed and arranged as herein shown and described, one man is able to turn out as many castin s, as the two men, under the old system reIerred to, and the castings will be more perfectly and evenly formed. and the whole output of the new machines can be produced at a greatly reduced expense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new'and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device for making finished castings, comprising a die-section having a mold cavity formed therein, and having an ingate comprising an upwardly flaring openin formed through the said section, the sa-i ingate being funnel-shaped, and having its broadest end disposed at the top adjacent the mold cavity, and its narrowest end disposed in the bottom side of said section, means for forcing the metal upwardly through said ingate fol-forming a casting and an integral sprue, and means for ejecting the cast metal upwardly without breaking or destroying the casting or sprue.

A casting apparatus, comprising a die, said die having a mold cavity formed in its upper side, an ingate, the said ingate being funnel-shaped, the largest mouth of said ingate disposed at its top end nearest the mold cavity, the smallest mouth of said ingate disposed at the bottom of said die, means for forcing the melted metal through the said in gate into said mold cavity for forming a'casting and also a sprue in one integral part, and means comprising a pinion and a pair of racks for withdrawing the said casting and sprue as one part from the said die.

The combinationof a pair of diesections mounted one upon the other, the lowermost section having mold cavities formed near its upper side and having a central perforation comprising a funnel-shaped ingate passing downwardly through said section, the

broadest end of said ingate disposed at the top of the lowermost die-section nearest the said cavities, and the narrowest end disposed at the bottom of said section, the upper diesection supporting a series of cores arranged to depend into said cavities, adapted to witlulraw the castings and also the sprue from the lower section upon the parting of said sections, and means con'iprising a pinion and a rack for stripping the castings from the said cores.

4. The combination with a base having an ingate opening and the melting pot disposed beneath the base, said pot having a spout communicating with said opening for the passage of molten metal, of a pair of diesections supported by said base, one of said die-sections having a mold cavity formed in its upper side and having an ingate comprising a funnel-shaped opening, arranged to coincide with the opening in the base, the

said ingate having its largest end disposed in the top of said die-section adjacent the said mold cavity, and having its narrowest end disposed in the bottom of said die-section nearest the said spout adapted to permit the withdrawing of the casting and also the sprue from the lowermost die-section, and a pinion and a pair of racks for lifting the casting and sprue from the lowermost section.

5. A casting apparatus, comprising a table having a perforated base, a pair of dies mounted upon said base, the lowermost die having a mold cavity, the said cavity connecting with the perforation in said base by means of a downwardly extending funnel- -shaped ingate, the said ingate disposed so that its largest mouth connects with the mold eavity in the top of the lowermost die while the smallest mouth connects with the perforation in the base, the uppermost die adapted to close the upper side of the mold cavity, a series of reciprocating cores piercing the upper die and depending into said mold cavity, a plate for supporting and operating said cores, said plate disposed above said upper die, means for witlnlrawing the casting and also the sprue from the lowermost die as one part, a pair of racks connected to said core plate, and a pinion shaft, adapted to operate said racks and said plate for stripping the casting and sprue from said cores.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OHRIN M. SHER MAN.

\Vitnesses:

WM. 0. Annnnson, llAnnr Du -Warnuui. 

